BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Authorities are searching for a female inmate who escaped this morning from a the Birmingham Community Based Facility near downtown.

Inmate Michelle Marie Shannon, was reported missing at 4:48 a.m. at the facility located at 1216 North 25th St., said Brian Corbett, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Corrections. Shannon was assigned to the institutional kitchen, he said.

Shannon is a white female, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds, blue eyes and blonde hair. She was sentenced out of Madison County on March 31, and is serving a five-year sentence for theft and forgery. Shannon's expiration of sentence date is scheduled for Dec. 12. Parole was denied in September of 2011.

The US Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force is assisting with locating and apprehending inmate Shannon, according to a press statement from the corrections department.

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of this individual please contact your local law enforcement agency.